John Milton is a Cleaner - the person Group Fifteen sends in to deal with problems. He's not the only Cleaner, but after years of loyal service he has climbed the ranks to become Number One. It's a position of responsibility and one he has never taken lightly, but during his latest mission his conscience twinged and he failed to follow the exact letter of his orders. When Control calls him in after the mission he tries to explain his position, to tender his resignation - but you don't get to just 'resign' from the Group.
On suspension while Control reviews his file Milton is alone in the city, adrift and not really focusing on the world around him - until he finds himself saving a life and becoming tangled in the life of a family at breaking point. After years of military and Cleaning work Milton is uniquely placed to go undercover in an urban jungle that is more hostile than some war zones. In a place ruled by gangs and warring factions, Milton has to work extra hard to save a young man on the brink of crossing the line from wannabe to real gangster, and once that happens his life will change forever. It's not an easy task for Milton, especially with another Cleaner on his tail - but there is more than just his life at stake.
The Cleaner is the explosive and addictive start to the John Milton series. Fast paced and action packed it is one of those rare books that almost seems to read itself - especially as you get closer to the explosive ending. Too often series like this push the envelope a little too far, being just a little too unbelievable, but Mark Dawson has managed to create a world that feels very real. The characters develop naturally throughout the story, you don't just get a character dump, people and their stories are revealed as you go. The Cleaner is one of those stories that is completely readable and would be easy to translate to the big (or little) screen.
Highly recommended, and on the bright side, as this is an older title now you can binge read the series.
- The runner by Stephen Leather
- Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz
- Breaking Creed by Alex Kava
- Spare me the truth by C.J. Carver
- The killing kind by Chris Holm
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